Have Yachts, Will Travel

This is a story of a
man who found a yacht so nice, he ordered it twice.Last fall a young Russian
industrialist signed a contract for a pair of identical 127-footers to
be built by Burger Boat Company. Even though their aluminum keels haven’t
been laid yet, the owner already knows where he’ll keep them: According
to Burger, one will be based in Europe, the other based in the United
States. Apparently it was a logical decision for him, as he has business
in­terests on both sides of the Atlantic and enjoys leisure time in
both regions as well. Areti I and Areti II mark the first
time that an owner has commissioned two yachts from Burger at the same
time.

The pair will use Burger’s
26'6"-beam hull form, which was previously used for yachts such as
Sis-W and Lady Grace Marie. They’ll each be built to ABS
X A1 AMS classification and comply
with the MCA Code governing the safety of large yachts. Both will be powered
by Caterpillar diesels and feature zero-speed stabilization, and both
127-footers’ interiors will feature African cherry paneling and saunas.

Come the summer of
2007, expect to see Areti I cruising the Eastern sea­board,
the Bahamas, and the Caribbean. If you’ll be in Europe that summer,
you might see Areti II in the Med as well as the Adriatic and Aegean
Seas, perhaps even the Balkans.

Interestingly, this
owner isn’t the only one who’s taken this tactic of keeping
yachts around the world. His fellow countryman, Roman Abramovich, bases
the members of his megayacht fleet—Pelorus, Le Grand Bleu,
Ecstasea, and Sussuro—in different ports. Le Grand
Bleu was in New York City late last summer, for example, while Ecstasea
was spotted by PMY’s senior editor Capt. Patrick Sciacca in
Barcelona in November.